Hey, G’Day, Eh!

This is Al Hunter reporting from that vast, foreign land sitting atop the USA. Fast Food Critic goes International with this, my first review of the Canadian fast food experience. I’m based in Toronto, which is a bit like living in Florida or Southern California regions of the US. We have most of the big US food franchises (often with modified menus), and also some interesting home-grown restaurants to add variety and exotic flavour (or ‘flavor’ after translation). This is a strange land that superficially looks and feels like America, but every exploration reveals subtle and satisfying differences.

Although an American restaurant chain established 1969 in Columbus, Ohio and now serving at over 6,500 stores worldwide, Wendy’s endeared itself to Canada in 1995 when it bought our iconic Tim Horton’s donut and sandwich chain. For over a decade, Wendy’s and Tim’s could be found cohabiting the same building.

Even now, after they’ve been separated since 2006, you will often find the two working together. On many trips across and around Canada I’d end up in a rustic motel in a smaller town with only a couple restaurants that were open late. Because of that Tim Horton’s connection, I could almost always find a Wendy’s, and when I did it was the Spicy Chicken Sandwich (introduced May 1996) that I chose, along with a side of Chili. The combo was always consistent, somewhat healthy, and very tasty!

The current trend is towards wraps rather than sandwiches, so I thought I’d check out my old favourite in a new package. The first time I tried the Spicy Chicken Go-Wrap without any personalization, just the default version. It was basically the well known sandwich chicken breast fillet cut in half, with iceberg/romaine lettuce, shredded mild cheddar cheese, Ranch dressing, all wrapped in a soft tortilla. Only the chicken fillet is heated, cooked with a nice mix of spices that are not mouth-searing hot but will remind you that you’ve just eaten the wrap up to 15 or 20 minutes later. The chicken breast coating is light and crispy and complements the tender white meat.

All the rest of the ingredients are cold, including the soft wrap. The combination of tastes, temperatures, and spices is quite nice but not easy to duplicate if you try to reheat it later. I became a little excited when I started to look at the personalization that could be applied to the wrap. To cut down on the calories somewhat, I ordered my next wrap with a fresh tomato slice and replaced the Ranch dressing with Mustard. It saved 30 calories and the result is way excellent! Other choices/substitutions include a light mayonnaise, two dill pickles, two onion rings, or ketchup to complete the wrap.

Sometimes a single wrap or sandwich is not quite enough to satisfy, and those times I add a side order of Wendy’s Chili. It makes me happy to know that I’m getting some significant fibre in my meal and really enjoying it too. The chili is especially yummy during the colder months. A plentiful mix of red kidney and navy beans with ground beef, tomato, onion, celery and green peppers. Occasionally I’ve found the chili to be a little watery, but most often it is a perfect mix of flavours and textures.

I often add a package of hot chili seasoning to boost up the spiciness and a couple of broken up Premium Plus salted crackers to extend the meal (both are available at no extra charge). You can also add shredded cheddar cheese on top but I’ve found it makes very little difference to the taste despite adding more fat and calories.

If you’re Canadian and want to sign up for the WendyMail Program you’ll need to be patient for another month or so until their website is updated to accept our quaint foreign addresses. Americans can sign up now to receive discount coupons!

Price: $1.99 Can + tax / Website: Wendys.ca

Fast Food Critic Score: B+

(standard menu item - Spicy Chicken Go Wrap)

Nutrition Facts - Wendy’s Spicy Chicken Go Wrap (standard).

Calories - 310
Calories from Fat - 130
Total Fat - 14 grams
Carbs - 28 grams
Saturated Fat - 4 grams
Trans Fat - 0.3 grams
Cholesterol - 40 milligrams
Sodium - 860 milligrams
Protein - 16 grams
Fiber - 1 gram

Price: $1.99 Can + tax / Website: Wendys.ca

Fast Food Critic Score: A

(custom - No Ranch Dressing, add Mustard, Tomato)

Nutrition Facts - Wendy’s Spicy Chicken Go Wrap (custom).

Calories - 280
Calories from Fat - 100
Total Fat - 11 grams
Carbs - 29 grams
Saturated Fat - 3.5 grams
Trans Fat - 0.3 grams
Cholesterol - 35 milligrams
Sodium - 840 milligrams
Protein - 16 grams
Fiber - 1 gram

Price: $1.59 Can + tax / Website: Wendys.ca

Fast Food Critic Score: B+

(small side order - Beef Chili)

Nutrition Facts - Wendy’s Beef Chili (small).

Calories - 190
Calories from Fat - 60
Total Fat - 6 grams
Carbs - 19 grams
Saturated Fat - 2.5 grams
Trans Fat - 0.3 grams
Cholesterol - 40 milligrams
Sodium - 830 milligrams
Protein - 14 grams
Fiber - 5 grams

Click here for rating system details.

I’m not a cook, and I have no desire to become one, but I still enjoy being involved with my food (playing with it) whenever possible. Quiznos gives me that chance with their Chili Bread Bowl. It’s like a food kit, with all the parts you need to assemble your own meal. First, you get a large round sourdough loaf of bread, which has the top cut off to form a lid, and the majority of the inside scooped out to create a bowl-like receptacle. It’s a beautiful piece of bread, no doubt. Obviously not a typical fast food offering.

Quiznos calls it “Artisan” bread. What does that mean? By definition, it indicates the bread is crafted by a person or company who pays special attention to the ingredients and preparation. It’s created in smaller batches, as opposed to being mass produced. It contains no preservatives and no chemical additives. Artisan bread makers are often compared to craftsmen who work on jewelery or fine furniture. It’s a true art form, and a return to the old ways where quality was more important than quantity.

Truth be told, I’m not sure bread purists would consider what Quiznos serves as real Artisan bread, and I’m sure they could give specific reasons why, but I’m not here to debate the fine points of bread making. I only wanted to explain what’s going on with this particular item, and it’s indeed a nice piece of bread. It has a brown crispy outer crust that crackles and flakes when you bite or cut it, a soft warm white center that’s slightly chewy, and it’s coated with olive oil, garlic and oregano.

Before I talk about the chili or the cheese, I must tell you about the wonderful surprise I found at the bottom of my bread bowl. As I removed the lid preparing to pour my chili inside, I saw a thinly sliced piece of Black Angus Beef covered in melted cheddar. Did it somehow get dropped into my bowl on it’s way to another customer’s sandwich? Nope, a Quizno’s manager informed me that at one point, it was a regular practice for them to include a small portion of steak or beef at the base of each bowl.

Eventually they stopped doing it, for whatever reason, and today it depends on the store and staff on duty. Some stores do it, some don’t. Some use Beef, others uses Steak or Chicken. So it’s a guessing game as to whether yours will include this extra ingredient, or which type of meat it might be. Ask them when you are ordering, to be sure, and once you verify that location does it, you can request whatever meat you want. I was assured by 2 different store managers this will never be a problem.

The chili and cheese each come in their own container, ready to be poured into the bread bowl. The chili is excellent, and I had no idea it was Turkey Chili until I asked. I’m so accustomed to the standard beef chili from almost every other source, this was a real surprise to me. It had all the hearty flavor and authentic taste that I’m used to, but with less fat content. It’s a thick mixture with big plump kidney beans, chunks of tomato, green and red peppers, onions and other spices. It’s mighty tasty!

The cheese is shredded into fairly large thick pieces. It’s a good tasting cheddar by fast food standards, and unlike most food items there’s a chance to sample the cheese before it gets added to the mix. Don’t get carried away though, because your going to want all that cheesy goodness to be melted on top of the chili.

Simply pour the chili into the bread bowl, then top it with the cheddar cheese, grab your spoon and start enjoying. And when you’re done with the great tasting main course, you eat the bowl it was served in. Very cool. Now, if only the spoon was edible.

Eating Tips - A) The thickness of the chili might tempt you to use a fork, but use a spoon. The spoon helps to gently carve away the soft bread lining inside, so you get tasty bread included with each bite. A fork can puncture the outer shell, causing a messy chili leak to occur. B) Save a little chili in the container, so when you’re left with the empty crusty bread, you can fold it up like a sandwich or large chip, and use that extra chili for dipping. I eat the whole bread shell. Every bite, even the lid.

The Turkey Chili Bread Bowl from Quiznos is delicious and different. It’s also fun to eat and build. For those unaware, this chain of stores has no drive-thrus, and it would be difficult to eat this in the car, but it’s definitely worth a trip inside to grab one. Some locations offer home delivery service. The chili was tasty enough that it inspired me to purchase several brands of turkey chili at the supermarket this week. I can cook those quickly and easily at home, with less fat than beef versions. I haven’t found anything as good as Quiznos recipe, but my eyes have been opened on the turkey topic.

Price: $5.49 / Website: Quiznos.com

Fast Food Critic Score: A-

Click here for rating system details.

Nutrition Facts - Quiznos Turkey Chili Bread Bowl.

Calories - 730
Calories from Fat - 200
Total Fat - 22 grams
Carbs - 104 grams
Saturated Fat - 7 grams
Trans Fat - 0.5 grams
Cholesterol - 50 milligrams
Sodium - 1680 milligrams
Protein - 31 grams

Editor’s Note: The slice of beef at the bottom of the bowl is NOT included in the nutrition numbers provided by Quiznos. Your guess is as good as mine.

Messy — Greasy — but Good.

I like Sonic’s Tater Tots. I’m not crazy about the chili and cheese used on their foot long coney, but something really nice happens when you bring them together. This is a case of the ‘whole’ being greater than the sum of it’s individual parts.

Little loaves of warm potato, crispy and brown on the outside, soft, white and tender on the inside, covered with greasy chili and cheese. It’s salty, beefy and cheesy. You know it’s wrong, but it feels so right. This is the kind of stuff that’s perfect for a case of late night munchies after a long evening of partying with friends.

Unlike with the chili cheese dog, I usually end up scraping the sides of the paper container to get the last bits of chili and cheese once the tots are gone. There’s also nice little chunks of potato left clinging to the walls and mixed in, making the effort worth it. The strong potato flavor of the tots works in harmony with the chili and cheese, and brings a pleasant balance that was missing with that extra long dog.

Technically, honestly, the chili and cheese are typical fast food generic variety, and the tater tots, while good, are no better than the frozen kind you find at the supermarket. That doesn’t matter because their union creates a winner that won’t be denied.

The Chili Cheese Tots from Sonic are quite good. I cannot bring myself to call them delicious, but they’re tasty, filling, and guaranteed to satisfy most any fast food craving. A regular order is the perfect side to a Sonic Burger, and the large order is a meal itself. If you haven’t eaten Tots in a while, Sonic is worth a trip whether you enjoy them plain, or choose the more adventurous route with chili and cheese.

Price: $2.09 — Website: SonicDriveIn.com

Fast Food Critic Score: B

Click here for rating system details.

Nutrition Facts - Sonic Chili Cheese Tots, Regular Size.

Calories - 310
Calories from Fat - 190
Total Fat - 21 grams
Carbs - 26 grams
Saturated Fat - 7 grams
Trans Fat - 3 grams
Cholesterol - 25 milligrams
Sodium - 860 milligrams
Protein - 8 grams